PDB receives bids for 300MW power import from India

State-run Power Development Board has received bids from four Indian companies to import 300 megawatts power for 15 years.‘We have opened the financial proposals submitted by four Indian companies for short-term and long-term power imports from India,’ the power board chairman, Khaled Mahmud, told New Age on Wednesday.On February 11, the PDB opened the bids participated by the four companies both for short-term and long-term power supply.According to the readout price of the bids, PTC India Limited quoted the lowest price for electricity supply from June 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019 while NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd (NVVN) quoted the lowest price for the supply from January 1, 2020 to May 31, 2033, he said.The power board will complete evaluation of the financial proposals and award the contracts in two weeks, Khaled said.NVVN quoted 3.42 Indian rupees for supplying each unit or kilowatt-hour of electricity, according to a news published by India’s state news agency PTI Tuesday evening.The power board will require to pay 900 crore Indian rupees to NVVN every year for the electricity, the report said.With the 300MW, Bangladesh’s total power imports will increase to 960MW as the country now imports 660MW from India.Of the 660MW power, Bangladesh receives 500MW at its Bheramara high voltage DC substations in Kushtia from a substation located in West Bengal and 160MW in Comilla from Tripura.State-run Power Grid Company of Bangladesh is now doubling the capacity of the 500MW HVDC substation at Bheramara to facilitate import of 1,000MW power from India using the facilities, said officials.Completion of the capacity expansion project is scheduled for June 30, 2018, they said, adding that the grid company was trying to prepare the facilities before the schedule as the additional 300MW power would

be ready for supply from June 1.The additional power import issue was settled during the India visit of prime minister Sheikh Hasina in April, 2017.Power (Jharkhand) Ltd of India’s Adani Group will also supply 1,600MW power from a coal-fired power plant to be installed in Jharkhand for 25 years.Bangladesh began importing 500MW electricity from India’s western grid from October, 2013 and later 160MW from the eastern grid.India became interested in power export to Bangladesh from its surplus capacity in the wake of its increasing power generation capacities from solar energy, said officials.India is also trying to expand its power market in some other South Asian countries including Sri Lanka, they said.India had started exporting electricity to Nepal and Bhutan before it began to supply power to Bangladesh.